Serving Langlade, Lincoln, Marathon, Menominee,  Oneida, Portage, Taylor, 
Vilas, Waupaca, and Wood counties. 

 

Selected headlines from the February 8th edition of THE BUSINESS NEWS

Robot farming comes to Edgar
Dutch immigrants introduce region to new technology
By Ed Wodalski
Ron and Ester Van Langen milk 130 Holstein cows - often up to six times a day, but they seldom touch a one. That job is left to two hard-working robots. The Van Langens, who emigrated from the Netherlands a little more than a year ago, are the first farmers in Marathon County to use robots to manage their herd. Ron had planned to install a 16-swing milking parlor but found it too expensive and decided on robots instead. While the laser-guided technology might be new to Northcentral Wisconsin, Van Langen says it's been a standard in the Netherlands for at least 10 years. In many ways, the cows milk themselves, choosing the times that suit them best. When an animal walks into a milking stall, the robot recognizes it from a transmitter worn around the neck. The animal is weighed and feed dispensed.  Before milking begins, each teat is scrubbed by a combination of brushes; a scanning device ensures quick and precise cup placement. The milk is tested and diverted into a disposal container if impurities are found. Once done, the cow's output is recorded and the animal is sent on its way - the entire process takes just a few minutes.  More

Point clinic focuses on health, hope
Scoliosis Rehab uses physical therapy to treat spinal deformity
By Lori Kaye Lodes
Idiopathic scoliosis is a three-dimensional deformity of the spine due to unknown causes. It is the most common form of the condition that affects up to three percent of all adolescents. Standard care is to observe the spine and wait until the curvature reaches 25 degrees, then fit the individual with a brace. If the curvature reaches 45 degrees, surgery is often recommended. Beth Janssen, whose son was diagnosed in his teens, wondered why the U.S. standard of care didn't include a physical therapy component. A practicing physical therapist in the Stevens Point area, Janssen understood the positive impact that therapy can have on retraining muscles and alleviating pain. She began searching literature and the Internet for options, discovering the German Schroth-based method of treatment, which had been used in Europe since 1920. Janssen felt a glimmer of hope.  "It was really the first thing I'd read that made biomechanical sense," said Janssen, who traveled with her son to Spain to meet with Dr. Manuel Rigo of the Elena Salva Clinic in Barcelona. There she saw for herself how the treatment worked.  In 2003, Janssen trained in the method and returned to the U.S. to assist her son in his exercises. Two years later, Rhonda Campo, in doing research on scoliosis treatment for her daughter, also discovered the European method and contacted Janssen, who invited Campo to come to Stevens Point. "It was amazing timing to learn that Dr. Rigo was coming to the U.S. a couple weeks later for the first training course for physical therapists," said Campo, who drove from Pennsylvania to participate. That same year, Janssen combined her therapy experience with Campo's business expertise in healthcare and biotech to co-found Scoliosis Rehab Inc., the first physical therapy clinic in the U.S. to specialize in the Schroth method. More

People who make a difference
Wausau business partners help visually impaired enjoy local theater productions
By Al Smith
Business partners and amateur actors Keith DuPuis and Kent Perrin have played many roles in local theater productions, but acting in support of local charities is what gives them the greatest satisfaction. DuPuis and Perrin are co-owners of Adrenalign Marketing LLC, a full-service advertising agency located at 408 Third Street in Wausau. "My parents were very active in charity work," DuPuis said, "and I got hooked in high school when I joined the Key Club, a student organization similar to Kiwanis." Perrin attributes his start in charity work to his association with DuPuis.  "Keith and I worked together for several years before we started our own agency and it kind of rubbed off on me. I began with Project Step Up, a mentoring program sponsored by United Way, that helps families develop money management skills," Perrin said. Since then, both DuPuis and Perrin have worked together for several charities. "We're actively involved in support of the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity," DuPuis said, "and we're pushing hard to help get ready for its biggest annual fund-raising event, the upcoming Mardi Gras on Feb. 16."  The pair also donate their time with the Winter Festival portion of the Badger State Games. But it's their mutual passion for community theater that provides a focus for their charitable efforts. More

Growth Strategies
Compass Insurance builds on service
By Al Smith
It takes more than hard work to succeed in the midst of the worst recession in modern memory; it takes vision backed up by a rock-solid business plan. That's been the key to the growth achieved by Compass Insurance Services, 1205 Cedar Road, Mosinee.  When John Guerndt became a partner in 2003 he had a clear idea of where he wanted to take the agency. "I had no prior professional background in the insurance industry, but I knew exactly how I wanted to be treated as an individual, and I saw an opportunity for aggressive growth in the Central Wisconsin market," Guerndt said.
"I believed that the keys to success were to thoroughly understand client needs, to carefully select the best insurance carriers and to hire the right people with the right motivation. Insurance is an intangible and I realized that what we really had to market was top-notch service," he said. Guerndt's strategy began to yield immediate results and, by July of 2008, he had obtained sole ownership of the firm and had moved the agency to a new office in Mosinee. By the close of 2008, agency revenues had grown by 600 percent and there seemed to be no end in sight. Then the recession hit. "Most of our revenues, as much as 80 percent, come from our commercial insurance lines," Guerndt said, "and when our clients' payrolls and their own sales shrink, so proportionately do our premiums."  Despite the severe falloff in premiums, agency income ended 2009 at about the same level as the prior year, a strong performance given the current economic conditions. "We compensated for the loss of income from commercial premiums by continuing to grow our client base," Guerndt said.  More


Opinion
It really is a small world after all
By Ed Wodalski
In the past month I had the opportunity to visit ancient tombs and temples, view King Tut's treasure, observe a Muslim wedding ceremony, watch news of Haiti on British TV, meet a family from Mexico, barter prices with a Nubian merchant, share an evening sunset with a couple from Spain, and trade adventures with a group of University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point students, returning from a two-week ministry to China. The experience was part of a 10-day tour of Egypt, the Land of the Nile, a country oil rich and water poor, and, unless bottled, is mostly unfit to drink.
It's so easy for us to complain about the economy, jobs, education, healthcare and immigration until you experience life through the eyes of others. Think 10 percent unemployment is bad? Try 20 percent, with 14 percent inflation. That's everyday life in Cairo, one of the world's most densely-populated cities - where a baby is born every 25 seconds, adding to the 8 million inhabitants - more than 81,000 per square mile.  The next time you're rushing to work, imagine a morning commute on roads shared by donkey carts, scooters, tour buses, delivery trucks and cars - all moving at once - where five or six lanes of traffic quickly squeeze down roads made for three or two; zigzagging down streets littered with trash and vehicles - not a parking ramp or garage in sight.  More

The List
Per Capita Income in Area Counties More

 


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